An opposing argument could be that the ALAEA should be pushing all maintenance providers to be as efficient and productive as possible as it is the only way for engineers to have a sustainable future and hence the association a membership base. In my view, the pressure which should be applied would be as follows:
- Adopt Lean manufacturing techniques to continuously work towards and exceed leading practice turn times (and quality but obviously the current state is very good)
- The additional capacity from the efficient work practices can then be used to take on more work - internal first and then potentially third party if the turn times really are leading practice
- Systems of maintenance are certainly not efficient currently nor is the planning aspect - this makes the engineer look inefficient. Push the organisations to fix this asap!
- Leadership styles in management are appalling (as evidenced by the survey) and result in lower engagement and hence productivity - surely a fair dinkum maintenance organisation would want to address this?
- Embrace new technologies to enhance the systems of maintenance, planning and the actual job of the engineer.
I'm sure there are plenty of other suggestions that the members would have which could further improve the engineering function and ensure that the skills stay in Australia.